When He Began
by Serrinatta
Summary: "Before Clow Reed" started a quest to find out just who got Clow Reed interested in magic. What events triggered his card making quest?
1. A Little Town...

Disclaimer: I dun own CCS wish I did, but for now I just own my prattlings.

A LITTLE TOWN 

Aariah had been in refuge in this little town for a long time. Her two years here, she has spent her time wisely. Living on her own was one of the requirements of her strong magical power. Closeness would reveal it eventually. She had defeated her strongest opponent before she moved here, but she knew that she would have let him be, had he not pursued her and tried to steal her magic. Here, in her little town, she became well know as the kindest stranger to move in. She made her money by mending clothes, keeping books, and every once in a while, taking care of the local children.

"Little one! You mustn't climb on the shelves! Your not as little as you once were!" Aariah plucked a small young eight-year-old boy off from her bookcase. He had raven hair, a pale complexion and a unique face of both eastern and western design.

The little boy smiled, "Then why are you still calling me little one?" his eyes were shut in happiness, hiding their depths.

"Well, what would you rather I call you?" She was playing with him and only acted frazzled.

"Sir of the Magic!" he cheered and plucked one of her books from the shelf before running off.

"Hey! I thought I told you not --"

"I'm so magical I can make this book disappear!" he called as she ran after him. The book wasn't really that important, but she knew it would make him happy if he got to pull her strings slightly. It was actually one of his training books. It was true that he was an apprentice for magic and his master allowed her to keep the books for him if the little one ever wanted to practice or study. The boy pranced off to the stream in the woods behind her house. "Watch! Watch!" he then proceeded to toss the book into the center of the stream.

"Oh, really!" She puffed. He had done this before and had found out that the book could not be ruined by water alone. The ink was waterproof and the pages had been made with a whale oil added to it. Not one part of it could be ruined. She did know however, that it was her job to retrieve it. She began to wade into the water quietly while holding her blue dress above it.

"See! I bet it's gone this time!" He skipped onto a large rock next to her in the water. "Quick! Look!" he gave her a little shove.

"Oh!" Aariah flailed as went falling to the water, her only escape was that she grabbed the little one on the way down, pulling him under as well. When they surfaced, they were both in giggles.

"Well, did you see it?" he gasped.

"No! Not a sign of it!" She smiled. "Good job!" They laughed some more. "But, we must be going now," she composed herself and stood.

"Why? I like the water, it's fun, and it just helped me make my book vanish!" he was teasing of course, he knew that he had to go, but still would fake a try anyway.

"Well then I guess you'll have to say your "thank-you"s to the river tomorrow then, we must be going," as she walked out of the water, the skirt of her dress, a sopping mess, was bundled under one arm so that it wouldn't trip her on the way back.

"Alright," he agreed and followed her back to her home.

"Where have you been!?" a startled voice acknowledged them when they had entered the back door.

Aariah looked up and saw the little one's master sitting inside her house. "Oh! I am so very sorry, the little master gave me the slip, it appears. A slip on wet rocks."

The little boy giggled.

"Miss, you must stop allowing him to goof off like this, he has to learn some discipline in order for his teachings to mean something!" he sighed.

"Yes sir, I know that. But he must also have his moments in nature in order to be friendly with it when he uses its tools?"

"Yes of course but --" he cut himself off, "How did you know that?" he looked at her quizzically.

"Oh! Well, you told him that once when you two left one evening, I just remembered and thought it an idea to help out," she told him. It was a lie of course, she knew it from her own lessons from long ago in Potoremin, but she wasn't about to let any one else know that especially the little one's master. For that man, being as renowned in town for his magic was really equal to a first year apprentice from where she had studied.

"Alright, I suppose I did. You have such great memory of things, it's a pity I can't teach you to teach him." The master took his apprentice's hand and headed for her front door. "Good day miss."

"Tomorrow again, right?" The boy asked.

"Yes," She giggled, "Tomorrow is right." She waved as they left her house.

After they had gone from sight of the house, Aariah went to her bedroom. "I wish I could teach him. It would be much more useful for him than that man's teaching." She sighed and pulled open her bottom drawer and reached underneath it to open the bottom compartment to it. Out slid a tiny dagger, no bigger than her thumb, attached to a dainty chain. "I has been a while hasn't it?" She swore she could hear the whispers of the elementals within her. Air, Water, and Fire were all hers. Both of the elemental entities of each element had become part of her after her fight with the Traveler, and now they resided within her, for her to tap into when she needed them. "Two years" she mumbled to herself. "Two years since I needed to use you" She held up the necklace till the dagger hung at eye level. Its dulled surface reflected the mild glow of the candlelight. "Perhaps I will have a chance with you yet."


	2. Bit Of Past...

BIT OF PAST. . .

The next few days she had open to herself, so she did just what she had proposed. Taking a few essential things, she left for the woods she hadn't been in since before she came to the little town.

*****************

The riverbank was still scarred with burnt, dead trees and black, charred rocks. The grass was back, but that was expected in such gap of time.

 "Time for a little stretch," Aariah commented to herself. She dangled her pendant out in front of herself and watched as it glistened with sunlight. "I call upon my own might to release the staff of my right." Like old times, the handle of the tiny dagger extended to the length of a staff and she quickly grasped it from its hovering place in front of herself. "My strength resides in my own heart, so outside me there will be a part." This was different of course. Since she had no imminent battle in front of her, that part of the spell was not needed. She stabbed her dagger staff into the ground below and her circle appeared. The fire and air dragon glowed fiercely in the pentacle beside the water and wood dragon's pentacle. The three elements released themselves from the tip of her staff. Water, Fire and Air whipped away as their wispy shapes of ribbons and the hint of young, free children, and a pair of white silver wings weighed lightly on her shoulders.

 A fire pit had been set up and Fire leapt happily over to it. The river was Water's abode as the Air took to the skies. They were still hers, of course, for she was still alive and her power was still a part of them. She sat in the grass and savored the moment. It had been a longer time than she had thought, since she last saw all three of them. She sighed and lay down and could tell Air was doing her a favor. She could smell cool, fresh mountain breeze in the wind and so breathed deeply. Fire had also spiced the wind with the seasoned scent of burnt cedar. They all knew she liked to relax in the woods and play quietly like a new child. She rolled over and stuck her head out over the river's edge. Water steadied the rippling surface and showed her reflection. Her black hair had turned slightly brown over the two years. She had known this would happen, for her continuous use of her power was what had kept it black as pitch. She also longed for her old hairstyle. It was now up in a loose bun; in this town that was fitting for a woman who had her job.

She quickly released her hair and watched as it poured over her head and into the water. Water immediately danced up her hair and drenched it, knowing what Aariah had just been thinking. Slowly, under the contact with Water's power, her hair became darker, but didn't become black until Air and Fire had blown it dry. "Better," she sighed. Her memories began to stir in her head; Potoremin where she learned her first bit of magic, and of her faithful teacher, who was secretly against the no-women policy of current magic. Her first element capture had been there as well. Air, had wanted to pick on her; being almost snobbish, but she had overpowered it in her training to protect herself form other magic -- magic hunters especially. She even went as far as to go out and capture two other elements on her own. Water and Fire had each had their loosing turn against her. She remembered how strange it was for her to find Water in the middle of the frozen, wintry mountains where her aunt Amirie and uncle Siefoth kept their inn and tavern.

Fire had been her next fight, and she had used both Air and Water to defend herself against it. Her only regretful memory was that of fighting the Traveler. He had been a magic hunter, although, he only sought out women who used magic, instead of everyone who did. The fight with him came flashing bright, back into her mind. Fight lake; flying; she didn't kill him, she knew she couldn't have, but she never know she could erase all his magical knowledge and his power, let alone take it into herself. She now had both entities from the three elements. Two Water, two Air, and two Fire. All six were in her possession now, and she hadn't done anything with them since the final battle two years ago.

After a few long moments of bliss, Aariah remembered. "I wonder." She got up and wandered slightly to a clearing. Before realizing it, she began to dig. Her hands grasping at the dirt in almost a frenzy. After making a somewhat large hole, she had found what she was digging for, "It's still here!" she cried. With a few more swipes of her hands, she unearthed a dark almost rotten looking book. "My magic book." she sighed and sat down with it upon her lap. Although the pages were blank from its experience with the river -- and its low quality making -- she could still remember what page had held what. "Capturing was here." she turned a page, "The staff spell was here. and. . ." She flipped to the back where a loose page had been folded in. "My circle." She paused, "Oh, I wish I hadn't let these words get washed away!" The elements stilled at her slight outcry. Aariah then stood, "It's alright." She told her elements ash she placed the old book into her pack of things.

**********

When Aariah returned home the next night, the little apprentice was at her door waiting. "How was your trip?" he asked full of pep.

"It was alright," she answered.

"What do you mean alright? Where did you go, anyway?" He was up and walking beside her towards her front door.

 "I mean," she sighed, "That my trip through the woods was exactly what I needed, and that it suited its purpose."

"Is that all? I thought you had gone somewhere to have fun. I mean, you got more color on you, your face is more rosy, your skin is tanned and I could swear your hair has turned black!" he followed her into her room.

"Little one! I may have been outside more that I usually am, but I am no different than when I left! Now if you please, I would like to get some sleep! That trip was exhausting!"

The little boy hung at the door a moment as she placed her stuff onto her table. "Did you bring me anything?"

"Oh really!" She turned to him and he ran out giggling. Closing her door, Aariah let out a sigh, she had forgotten that someone might notice her hair. 


	3. Imagine Her Surprise...

IMAGINE HER SURPRISE. . .

"Hi!"

"Oof!" Aariah felt a great weight heave itself onto her back. "Young master, you're not as young and small as you used to be! -- and neither am I -- Must you do that every morning?"

"But how would you know it was me, then?" He got off her back as she stood while pulling a book from the bottom shelf in front of her.

"I would be able to tell it was you," she place the book down on the table and looked at him, "By the sound of your voice."

He sat in a chair next to her and persisted, "But what if I talk in a squeaky voice like this?" he said in his highest voice.

"It's still has your accent." She sat as well and opened the book near to the back.

"And. . . if I talk. . . like. . . this?" He spoke in a low tone with several pauses.

"Nope, still you." She pushed the book under his face. "Now, read. . . aloud."

"Aw. . . okay. . ." he looked down and began to speak the text. ". . .the man stood at the. . . pin-nak-ll?"

"Pinnacle," she corrected, "It means turning point or most important point."

". . .pinnacle of his estate.  He was unsure as to whether to go forward with his quest to find his missing son, or to stay, and be merry with his wife before she dies."

The lesson continued on for several hours until midday when he had finished the book.

"Good job, little one! You finished it!" Aariah was now standing as she had gotten uncomfortable sitting throughout the reading.  Of course her little student had fidgeted and moved several times before and after she had.  "And guess what?  Now's the time where you get to pick any book from my shelves!"

The little boy's head jerked up, "Really!?"

Aariah giggled, "Yes, yes.  Your reading skills are great, so now it's up to you to find what will keep them polished. And I suggest that you don't pick something you've already read.  Reading something new is a great way to get better too."

"Okay!" he ran over to the bookcase and placed the book back.  "Which one?"

"Any one!  Any book that will interest you or any book that you haven't read yet! Go on!" Aariah came up behind him.

He knelt down and passed his finger across the bottom row.  Nothing interested him there.  The next row was just as fruitless since he had read those books before.  Looking up he decided he was going about this search the wrong way.  "Can you lift me up? I want to see the top rows."

"Alright, I'll lift you up." She picked him up by his sides and lifted him to equal to her eye level.  "That better?"

"Much!" the boy began to look across at the new books at the top shelf.  He had never read any of those before.

"Are you done yet? You're getting heavy." Aariah prodded him to choose.

"If I choose, you will not tell me I can't read my choice?" He turned his head slightly so he could hear her better but still keep an eye on one rather old and shabby looking book.

"As long as you choose, yes!" she was getting tired of taking so much time.

"Alright, then I will take this one." He pulled out the shabby book he had been eyeing as Aariah brought him back down.

"Which book did you pick?" she asked him as she followed him to the table again.

"I don't know. . . there is no title on it, but it is old." He flipped the book about in his hands, "You tell me, they're your books.  Which one have I pulled?" he held it up to her showing the cover and the spine.

Aariah's face went pale. "That's. . . that is a. . ." she couldn't believe he just picked her tattered old magic book from the shelf. "That book is blank, dear.  It was mine from when I was little, and its ink got washed away when it went in a river."

"Really?" he opened it up and flipped through the pages.  "Does this book bring you memories? Is that why you keep it?"

As he continued to flip a folded piece of loose paper fell out.  Aariah quickly swooped in and grabbed it. "Yes," she answered and put the paper into her pocket as he watched her. "It does bring me memories."

Her little student looked hard at the blank pages.  "I bet I could get the words to come back."

"What?" her voice was slightly high and quiet.

"My master was just teaching me along the lines of magic that could do that.  I bet if I asked him, I could restore your book for you." He turned it upside down and frowned at it.  "It wouldn't be too much trouble, I wager."

"Restore my book? I don't think so. . . and. . . You wager?" she paused, "Wagering, young man is for foolish adults." He looked up at her as she gently took the book from him. "How about we go outside and get your recommended amount of play in today?"

"That's sounds great!" he almost jumped from his seat.

As he went out back to the field with its clear stream, Aariah put the folded paper back into the book and quickly stashed it into her desk drawer, while taking a mental note to find a better place to put it.


	4. A Single Night...

A SINGLE NIGHT. . .  
  
The day had finally finished that night, and Aariah was weary from teaching her student. After getting into her nightgown, she turned down her oil lamp until it was barely lit and crawled into her fluffy bed for a good night's sleep.  
  
* * * * * * * * * *  
  
Her little student was more than still awake however. After returning to his magic teacher, he did indeed learn how to restore words to a washed out book; that being his actual lesson that evening.  
  
After heading to bed, he instead took a candle and crept out of his master's house and went across the village to Aariah's home. Approaching the bookcase, he got on his tip toes and looked to see if the book was still there. His candle shed light on many top row books, but the old and tattered one of his teacher's was not there.  
  
He was just about to head back to his master's place when he passed by the desk. Normally, the desk was perfectly straightened, but this time, he noticed the papers atop it ajar, and the desk itself was askew - he could tell that by the dust on the floor. He decided to check it, just to see if she put the book somewhere else so that he doesn't see it again tomorrow. Opening up the drawer, it was indeed there. So he carefully took it up and brought it to the table. Careful to be quiet, he opened the book and counted the pages before skipping to the center page. He reached for his candle and carefully dripped a single drop of wax onto the center seam. After that, he pulled out a black raven's feather from under his shirt and began fanning it over the wax and pages. "Everything old, is still remembered," he began to whisper quietly, "but what is missing must be found. In a search that has been hindered, bring back theses words that were paper bound." Instantly ink seemed to bleed onto the papers, turning them black. And after blackening the entire book, it seemed to run off, leaving the old messages behind. The boy's eyes widened.  
  
* * * * * * * * * *  
  
Aariah's dreams were vague. Blasts of bright color crossed her sight in reds, oranges, blues, and yellows. The colors seemed to whirl in a pinwheel before being encircled by green and brown. The green and brown made the other colors shrink in the center and speed up their pinwheel like movement before they burst out in a bright blur and an audible thump.  
  
Aaraih sat bolt upright on bed, awake and heart racing. Realizing the thump she had heard wasn't from her dream; she quickly got out of bed and went for her lamp. Upon making it a little brighter, she quickly stepped out her room door to see what was going on. At the sound of her door creaking open a face lifted from the floor in fright, "What the. . .!?" strewn upon her floor was two chairs, her old book, the folded paper, and her young student. "What are you doing here!?" she half shrieked, half whispered.  
  
The little boy quickly got up from the floor and backed into the table; still silent.  
  
Stepping forward she picked up her book and gasped. "You restored. . . my book!" the last two words were almost in a sad cry.  
  
"I-I didn't know. . ." her little student tried as she still stared at the book. "I thought it would make you feel better. . . if. . . if I restored it. But. . ." he didn't want the rest of his sentence to be aloud, for it would make it concrete that his teacher was an illegal magic user.  
  
Aariah wasn't even paying attention to him. She was too distracted by the realization that her life was over, starting now. She really wasn't much of an element mage anymore, and other than that trip to the woods, she hadn't used her magic in two years. But now, after such a long time of starting a different life, she was caught. Aariah sat on the floor and began to cry, not tearing her eyes from the renewed words on the pages of the book in her hands.  
  
A few moments had passed when her little student realized that he wasn't in trouble. It was his teacher, who was in trouble. "A. . . Aariah?" he asked quietly, as he stepped closer to her.  
  
She began to whisper to herself in desperation. "I. . . I should have left this buried. . ." her tone became louder, "Buried and forgotten in those retched woods!" She went silent for a moment, before going back to the whispering. "I should have let that. . . that Traveler take my magic. . . If I had, it wouldn't come back to haunt me like this!" her sobs became more ragged.  
  
"Aariah," his tone became one of pure sympathy. "This isn't an end. I won't tell anyone. Honest I won't."  
  
Aariah finally looked up at the little boy. "It won't matter," she sniffled, "Magic tools that are not dormant can always be sensed by any first year student. . . e. . . even your master." The boy was silent beside her. "Once he wakes up, he'll sense a new magic tool, and wonder what's going on."  
  
The boy thought for a moment, "What if we make it dormant again by putting it in the river and washing it of its words again? Won't that work?"  
  
She looked at him quietly. . . "No. . . no, that won't do it, only magic can erase a restoration spell. And if I use magic here, it'll wake you master and he will know." She began to whisper sadly to herself again, "I should have left it buried. I should have left it buried. . . if only I had just left it there, on that burned, charred, spot. . . far away on the other side of fight lake, I could. . . this wouldn't be happening then." She half heartedly tossed the book away from her and began to sob into her nightgown.  
  
For a long time she sat like that; crying. All of her life that had been covered for such a long time was now hitting her head on. By then end of that time, she realized, she needed to leave. She needed to get out of her home of two years, and go somewhere away from her student's master. She lifted her head and looked around for her book. Blinking a couple of times, shoe couldn't see it within the light of her lamp. "Little one. . ." she whispered with what control she had just gained, "where is. . ." Her eyes became wide now, as she realized he was gone. Franticly standing, she lit her lamp even brighter, enough to light the room. Her book was gone, and so was her little student. 


	5. Unto The Morning...

UNTO THE MORNING…

The little boy could hear his teacher calling for him out her door.  But he knew that he had to get the book away from her so that she wouldn't get caught by his master.  "Sorry," he whispered to her fading voice.  Even though he was far enough away from her, he could still hear her voice calling him.  "Sorry!" he called louder as he ripped through the forest.  When he reached a clearing, he held the book in front of him as he ran; looking at it.  "I just have to get this back. I know it!" he confirmed to himself of his chosen task.  As he plunged back into woodland, he tucked it under his arm again, "Burnt woods… past Fight Lake… along a river…" He repeated the parts of her description to himself to better recognize it when he got there.

**********

"Oh no!" Aariah put her hands on her head, "LITTLE ONE!!!" she called even though she knew he was out of earshot.  Her hands then slid to cover her mouth as she ran back into her home.  She ran into her room and quickly shuffled through her things.  Pulling out her old traveling bag and purple cloak, she promptly stuffed the bag full with items of clothing, food, and other things she knew she might need.  Last of all she took out her dagger pendant and placed it round her neck.  Aariah barely remembered to lock up before she rushed out her back door.

**********

Her little student, however, was nearing Fight Lake.  For his small size, he could beat through the entangled woods rather well, not to mention get through the fallen tangles.  His only reason to keep moving was to get the book as far away from either his teacher or his master, and he knew Aariah should soon be following him.

For the journey he was making, it was surprising that he endured until dawn.  In his persistence he was even able to reach Fight Lake a few minutes before then.  When he had arrived there, he could see the mouth of the river Aariah was probably talking about across the bay, but he knew better than to follow the path directly.  Instead, for the last few minutes of his strength for the day, he followed the shore away from the river mouth and then trekked a few feet into rather dense bushes.  Here, he matted some of them down, and laid down for a rest; making sure to keep the book under him so he wouldn't loose track of it.

**********

Aariah, on the other hand, had something up her sleeve.  Immediately upon reaching the clearing that her student had used to look at her book, she pulled off her pendant and began to cast it open.  "I call upon my own might, to release the staff of my right!"  As if the pendant had been sensing her fear, it quickly extended the handle of the dagger to the size of a staff. "My strength resides in my own heart, but there is an emergency out there that is a plight. So outside me there will be a part, to help me crusade with all my might!" 

Again, the chant was slightly different, but the main elements of it were still there.  So, as her enchanted circle brightened, and she stabbed her staff into the ground, her elements released.  Fire, lit her torch, Water, filled her canteen, and Air, gave her the white silver wings.  She stretched her wings wide before using their broad surface area to push her up into the late night's starry sky.

**********

In the house at the center of town, the little boy's master awake with a start.  Even for such a distance, he could sense the tiniest wisp of Aariah's elements being released.  Disoriented by having never sensed other magic before, he got up and went to his kitchen to make a midnight snack as he thought over what he was feeling.

**********

He awoke only an hour later to the flutter of wings flying across above him.  Quickly, he tucked the book farther under himself and looked up.  It was just in time, for he saw his teacher float across the sky above the trees around him.  Silently he watched in almost disbelief.  She landed on a high outcropping of stone along the river side of the lake.  She landed in a kneel, and her wings folded around her before she looked up at the tree line.  Scanning the area around the riverbank, she decided for a closer look.  Swooping down, She flew close over the river's end and looked carefully at it.  Her little student knew that she was looking for footprints in the sand.

After her close inspection, Aariah flew over to the rotting dock and perched at its end.  From there, she opened her canteen and let out the Water entities.  "Water, follow the river ahead of me." She instructed.  As a thin ripple shot through the lake and into the river mouth, she stood and looked about.  They both knew that he was near, but Aariah hadn't used the sensing magic much after she had received it from the traveler. And she realized it had bee right here, on this dock, those two years ago.


End file.
